Col. George Ivan Wilkins, Sr., U. S. A. F. Ret

Col. George Ivan Wilkins, Sr.,U.S.A.F. Retired, 79, of Biloxi, MS, died Monday, July 2, 2007, in Biloxi. Col. Wilkins was born in Rocky Mount, NC and had been a resident of the coast since 1981. He was an U. S. Air force Veteran of WW II, Korea and Vietnam with 34 years of service, and the recipient of the Silver Star and Bronze Star, sixteen air medals and four Distinguished Flying Cross medals. Col. Wilkins received his Master's Degree from the University of Central Michigan. His family is very proud that Col. Wilkins started out as a private and worked his way to a full Colonel Command Pilot. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Betty Wilkins, of Biloxi; two daughters, Trudy W. O'Gorman and her husband, Michael, of Conroe, Texas, and Nancy W. Scneider and her husband, Thomas, of Humble, Texas; two sons, Capt. George I. Wilkins, Jr., of the U. S. Air Force, and his wife, Patricia, of Biloxi, and James M. Wilkins of Las Vegas, NV; one brother, Joe B. Wilkins of Portsmouth, VA; seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A visitation will be held Tuesday, July 10, 2007, from 6 until 8 p.m. at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes in Biloxi. Col. Wilkins will be sent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA for burial with full military honors. The family prefers memorials be made to the Salvation Army of Biloxi, P. O. Box 9, Biloxi, MS 39533.